MILTON – Milton attorney and Governor’s Council member Robert Jubinville isn’t running for lieutenant governor, but he has a word for Cambridge City Councilor and Democratic candidate Leland Cheung, who is seeking the post:

Maybe the Legislature should do away with the office you want.

Jubinville’s riposte followed Cheung’s comments on Tuesday that the state would be better off abolishing the Governor’s Council, which Cheung called “an antiquated waste of taxpayer dollars” and “an outmoded relic of colonial days.”

Along with abolishing the council, Cheung also says the lieutenant governor’s duties should be “rebooted” to become the state’s chief operating officer.

The council, which is now elected by districts, originally advised British governors. These days councilors confirm or rejects the governor’s judicial nominees, as well as court clerk magistrates, parole board members and other positions. Jubinville is the District 2 councilor.

Cheung says judicial nominees should be approved by the state Senate, but Jubinville swiftly objected – noting that the lieutenant governor’s only constitutional duty is to be a non-voting member of the Governor’s Council.

“Doing away with a lieutenant governor's position makes more sense to me,” Jubinville said. “I don't understand how Mr. Cheung could put forward such a proposal as he has not even attended one Council meeting.”

“In case Mr. Cheung hasn't noticed, the citizens of the Commonwealth have not had a lieutenant governor in over a year and we have gotten along just fine,” he added.

Jubinville was referring to former Lt. Gov. Tim Murray’s 2013 resignation. The office has gone unfilled since then.

Jubinville and other council members have grilled some of Gov. Deval Patrick’s nominees, in some cases prompting the nominations to be withdrawn.